The Focus Effect

Twenty-one

The progress is slow and I've told David to concentrate on the way he feels. I want to know immediately if he notices any changes I'm making. I reference my own light threads often and use them as guidelines for trying to accomplish what Kingshire wants from me—or at least to maintain the illusion I'm crafting. I think I'll give David my silver markings. This should be relatively easy for me and harmless to him. Kingshire will see it as progress and give me the breathing room I need. But even this simple task becomes overwhelming.

There are several threads that govern my silver markings. Unfortunately, they are integrated with normal threads of light that have nothing to do with my unique abilities. In order to give David similar silver markings, I have to create new threads of light from David's halo and integrate them into his normal threads the same way mine are. I expect that this will take some time. By arranging the symbols on David's halo to match the symbols on the ends of my threads of light, I create new connections and new threads of light. When plugged into David's halo this will, theoretically, give him silver markings.

I expected that the process of giving David silver markings would keep Kingshire off my back until New Year's Eve—the night I plan to escape. He should be busy monitoring the progress of the mission, allowing the window of opportunity I need to carry out my plans. I've been on the silver marking kick for three days and the markings have yet to make an appearance. Without any discernible progress, Kingshire is getting antsy and threatening to pay me a visit. I'm almost to the point where I feel I may need to take a different approach.

On the fourth day, I find success.

The past few days have been extremely personal and close-contact work. David always wants to talk to me while I work and I always have to tell him to hush so I can concentrate.

Today, he's brought along his headphones and music to resist the temptation to interrupt my work. David shows me the device before we get started. The headset is a wireless two piece music device. The ear buds contain his entire music library. I don't remember having one of these, but still, it seems familiar. He hands me one of the buds and pops the other into his ear. I put mine in and listen to melodic guitar for a moment before a man starts to sing.

The guitar, drums and bass kick in and I bob my head a little to the beat, liking the way the tempo has shifted pace. When the music slows back down and the man begins to sing again, I hand the ear bud back to David. "It's sad...but pretty."

"Yeah," he agrees, but it comes out like he means, obviously. "But it rocks," he adds.

I laugh. "That, too. Who is it?"

David looks horror-struck. "Only the greatest band of the twentieth century. Led Zeppelin—nineteen sixty-nine—from their debut album?"

"Led Zeppelin?  What kind of name is that?" I grin.

"Wow." He looks at me in amazement. "My grandpa got me hooked on them a few years ago before he died...before my mom and dad died. I think I pretty much have everything they've done."

I'm jealous of him and the pseudo memories he still has of his past. At the same time, it makes me wonder if his grandpa is really dead or if David even really likes Led Zeppelin. Maybe they made him like Led Zeppelin. Either way, he's got something to remember. Why did they have to go and take everything from me? That thought, along with the song, has put me in a gloomy mood. "I...um...should get to work."

David nods. "I'm sorry," he says.

I shake my head and scoff a bit. "For what?"

"I've upset you."

He has—but it's not his fault. "It's okay. I'm fine." I give him my best smile but he doesn't look convinced.

"Maybe after all this is over, we can do something together—watch a movie...or I could play you some other music I've got," he offers.